By Pam Marshalla
Q: I am working with a 5 year old boy who is unable to lingua-alveolar consonants except an occasional N in isolation and occasionally in the initial position of syllables. I am able to get the tongue placement for /t/ and /d/ but as soon as he tries to say the sound, he makes the /k/ or /g/. Any suggestions would be most appreciated! The anterior consonants T, D, N, L, S, Z come in because the jaw begins to…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: My client is having trouble with L. When he makes his L it sounds as though he is forming some type of constriction in the far back of his mouth. It almost sounds like a glottal stop, but it is not that far back. He can hear the error but cannot change it. This has been called a “Retroflex L”. It means that the client is lifting the back of his tongue instead of the tip of his tongue…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: I have been working with a child for a year and a half and R has been very resistant to improvement. I just stumbled upon a good R in STRI-words like “strike”, “stripe”. Yet he has problems doing what you call “lerring” [sliding back-and-forth between L and R]. Why do you think this is? R can be a grand mystery and you never know what pattern will cause it to sound right. Just go with whatever works. It could…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: I have a number of clients whose L doesn’t sound right. The tongue-tip is lifting to the alveolar ridge, but the sound is muffled and just a little distorted. Do you have any suggestions? The tongue-tip probably is elevating without the full tongue thinning enough. Try this: Have the client say La-La-La with the jaw lower. Lowering the jaw usually thins the tongue. Have him say Ah first, and have him keep saying Ah while he says L. Make…
